Garment hanger support



Sept. 1, 1959 R. s. SANFORD ETAL 2, 2

GARMENT HANGER SUPPORT Filed May 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Roy 6. SAM/F0170 JAMEJ' 0. [An/E;

ATTORNEYS Sept. 1, 1959 Filed May 20, 1955 R. s. SANFORD ET AL 2,902,172

GARMENT HANGER SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS ROY S. SANFORD JAMES O. EAMES United States Fatent 7 2,902,112 GARMENT HANGER SUPPORT Application May 20, 1955, Serial N6. 569,766

4 Claims. 01. z11= -'10o This invention relates to supporting mechanisms for garment hangers,- and more particularly to supporting mechanisms of the type having an elongated arm pivotally connected to a wall bracket and adapted to be supported in either a first operative position in forwardly projecting relation to the wall bracket or a second operative position in downwardly projecting relation to said bracket and provided with spaced openings therealong adapted to receive the hook ends of wire coat hangers and to support them with the arm either in the horizontal or in the vertical position.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide, in a mechanism of the above type, novel latching or supporting means for supporting the arm in the first operative position.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for guiding the movement of the arm between the first and second operative positions.

Still another object of the invention is to provide abutment means for supporting the arm in said first operative position, together with novel means for guiding said arm into engagement with the abutment.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the above type which may be economically produced and readily operated by the user.

These and other novel features of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art as set forth in the following specification. It is to be specifically understood, however, that the description and drawings are utilized for purposes of illustration only, and are not to be considered as defining the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the mechanism of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the mechanism taken firom the left with some of the parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view similar to that of Fig. 2 but taken from the right;

Fig. 4 is a view, partially in section, showing the hinged connection of the arm with the arm supporting means;

Figure 5 is a top plan view showing, the hanger arm in full line engaged position and in phantom line disengaged position, and

Figure 6 is a side elevational view partially broken away and showing the hanger arm in the depending position.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, the mechanism includes a wall bracket 4 adapted to be secured to an upright supporting surface, a pair of ear members 5 and 6 secured to the outer face of the bracket as by means of rivets 7 and extending outwardly from the bracket as shown. A hinge pin or rivet 8 is secured to the spaced outer end portions of the ears in a horizontal position as shown, portions 9 and 10 of the respective ears adjacent to the pin 8 having arcuate configurations arranged and spaced in vertical convex relationship to each other as shown. The pin 8 provides means on which a garment hanger supporting arm 11 is mounted, at one end thereof, for pivotal movement between a first operative position wherein said arm is in forwardly extending relation to the bracket 4 and a second operative position wherein said arm is in downwardly extending relation to said bracket. Garment hanger supporting arm 11 is preferatily formed of a single piece of fiat metal stock as shown, and is provided with a plurality of spaced hooks of openings 12 along its upper edge, these hooks or openings being adapted to receive the hook ends of wire ment hangers of the conventional type. Adjacent to, but spaced from the inner end of the arm, a bore 13 is provided through which the pin 8 passes, the bore being appreciably larger than the diameter of the pin in order to permit limited universal movement of the armabout the pin. In addition to the foregoing, the spacing between the adjacent convex surfaces of the right and left ears is preferably greater than the thickness of the therebetween measured along said bore in order to facilitate said limited universal movement of the arm, and particularly 'to permit limited sideways swinging movement of the arm about said pin when the arm is swung toward and away from its first operative position.

In order to provide a support for the arm in first operative position, the arm is provided with a portion 14' adjacent the inner end of the arm adapted to engage an abutment 15 formed on a portion 16 of the ear 5 which extends inwardly therefrom toward the other ear. With the parts as shown in Fig. 2, the abutment is positioned to hold the arm in a horizontal position in a vertical plane substantially normal to the wall bracket as shown, the arm in this position being supported both by the pivot pin and by the abutment spaced inwardly therefrom.

The inwardly extending portion 16 of the right hand ear 5 is provided with a cam portion 17 which is operative to guide the movement of the arm 11 about pin 8, as will be more fully described hereinafter, and the portion 16 is also provided with a stop surface 18 adapted with the arm in the position shown in Fig. 2 to engage the right side of the arm and substantially prevent sidewise movement of the arm about the pin 8 when the arm is in the first operative position. Extending inwardly toward the center from the left hand ear 6 is a member 19 provided with a second stop surface portion 20 adapted to engage the left surface of the arm with the latter in the first operative position and to prevent sideways movement of the arm about the pin 8 in a counterclockwise direction when the arm is in a first operative position, together with a cam portion 21 adapted on rotation of the arm from a position above said first operative position to a first operative position, to guide the inner end portion 14 of thearm into engagement with the abutment 15, this cam means, together with the operating stop surfaces, serving .to guide the am into a horizontal position wherein. the arm is substantially in a vertical plane'normal to the face of the bracket. Although the ears 5 and 6 are shown as being two separate members secured to the face of the wall bracket 4 by means of the rivets 7 as shown, it will be understood that if desired, the ears may be formed in a single piece or integral with the bracket without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring now to the operation of the mechanism and starting with the arm 11 in a substantially second operative position depending from the pin 8, it will be understood that on rotation of the arm in a counter-clockwise direction toward the first operative position about the pin 8, the rear end of the arm will engage the cam 17, which will force the rear end of the arm to the right as viewed in Fig. 2, and force the arm to follow a path of movement which lies outside of the aforesaid vertical plane normal to the bracket, thus allowing the inner end of the arm to pass by and below the abutment 15 without. interference therewith. As the arm is raised above the first operative position, the cam at the lower end is so shaped as to permit the arm to be swung back into said vertical plane, whereupon the arm is lowered suificiently to permit engagement between .the end portion 14 of the arm and the abutment 15. In the event that during this operation, the arm is swung too far in a counter-clockwise direction sideways about the pivot pin 8, the cam 21 acts, on opposite rotation of the arm, to guide the end 14 of the arm into engagement with the abutment 15 between the cooperating stop surfaces 18 and 20. When the end of the arm engages the abutment, the stop surfaces substantially prevent sideways movement of the arm in either direction about the pivot pin from the first operative position, and coat hangers or other garment hangers may be placed on the arm, being prevented against longitudinal movement therealong by the openings 12.

In the event it is desired to lower the arm to the second operative position with the garment hangers thereon, the arm is sequentially rotated in a counter-clockwise direction about the pin 8, to clear the stop surface 18, is rotated sideways on the pin in a counter-clockwise direction, and is then lowered to the second operative position with the rear end of the arm following along the outer surface of the cam 17. When the arm reaches the second operative position, the configuration of the cam and of the rear end of the arm 11 is such that the end of the arm will clear the cam 17 and the arm will rest in a substantially second operative position and in the vertical plane normal to the front face of the bracket.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that simple and novel mechanism has been provided for supporting the garment hanger arm in the first or second operative position, and that the mechanism may be readily oper- 'ated by the ordinary user. As stated heretofore, in moving the arm from the second to the first operative position, it is only necessary to raise the outer end of the arm to a position above the first operative position, swing the outer end slightly to the right until the inner end engages either the cam 21 or the stop surface 20, and to thereafter lower the arm to effect engagement of the inner arm end 14 with the abutment 15. When it is desired to again move the arm back from the first operative position to the second operative position, the outer end of the arm is raised slightly to clear the stop surface 18, the arm is moved to the left at the outer end thereof, and the arm is then lowered to the second operative position.

Although the mechanism forming the subject matter of the present invention has been described in considerable detail, it is to be understood that other embodiments of the invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and that the invention is not limited except as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A support for garment hangers including a bracket adapted to be secured to an upright supporting surface, an elongated garment hanger supporting arm, a pivotal connection between said bracket and one end portion of said arm for movement of the arm relative to the bracket from a first operative position in forwardly extending relation to said bracket and a second operative position in downwardly extending relation to said bracket and for limited rocking movement of the arm relative to the bracket sideways about said pivotal connection, an abutment associated with said bracket located in inwardly spaced relation to said pivotal connection with which the end portion of the arm has upward engagement to lock said arm in operative position when said arm is in a selected position of rocking movement sideways of its pivotal connection with the bracket, and cooperating stop surfaces to substantially prevent said sideways movement of the arm when the arm is in said engagement with said abutment, said abutment and said cooperating stop surfaces being so positioned as to permit disengagement of 4 the arm from said abutment and cooperating stop surfaces to free said arm for movement from said first operative position to said second operative position on movement of the arm sequentially upward and sideways about said pivotal connection.

2. A support for garment hangers as set forth in claim 1, wherein cam means are associated with said bracket and positioned fo engagement with the inner end of said arm during movement of the latter from said vertical toward said horizontal position to guide the inner end of said arm past said abutment during said movement.

3. A support for garment hangers as set forth in claim 1, wherein cam means are provided adjacent said abutment for guiding the inner end of said arm into engagement with said abutment when the arm is moved from said second operative position to a position above said first operative position and then moved to said first operative position.

4. A support for garment hangers including a bracket adapted to be secured to an upright supporting surface, an elongated metal garment hanger supporting arm having spaced garment hanger receiving hooks formed along its upper edge, means for hingedly supporting the arm on the bracket for movement between a first operative position in forwardly extending relation to said bracket and a second operative position in downwardly extending relation to said bracket comprising a pair of spaced ears secured to the bracket and extending outwardly therefrom and a horizontal pivot pin extending between the ears adjacent their outer ends and through an enlarged bore of the arm adjacent the inner end of said arm, the inner surfaces of said ears being of arcuate configuration with respect to vertical axes passing through the axis of said pin and being in opposed convex relationship and spaced apart at said pin a distance appreciably greater than the thickness of said arm measured along said bore, an abutment extending inwardly from one of said ears in inwardly spaced relation to said pivot pin adapted to engage the upper surface of said arm at the inner end between said pivot pin and bracket to support the arm in a first operative position and in a second operative position in a plane normal to said bracket, said abutment including stop surfaces for preventing rotation of said arm out of said plane in one direction when in said first operative position, a cam associated with said abutment for engaging the inner end of said arm during movement of the latter from said second operative position towards said first operative position to guide the arm in a path lying outside said vertical plane, a stop surface extending inwardly from the other said ears positioned to substantially prevent movement of said arm out of said vertical plane in the other direction when the arm is in said first operative position and in engagement with said abutment, and cam means associated with the last named stop surface for guiding the inner end of said arm into engagement with said abutment on rotation of said arm from a position above said first operative position toward said first operative position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 520,634 Cochrane May 29, 1894 870,038 Knapp Nov. 5, 1907 1,172,134 Harold Feb. 15, 1916 1,511,125 Havens Oct. 7, 1924 1,833,147 Atkinson Nov. 24, 1931 2,116,631 Jones May 10, 1938 2,452,689 Sheppard Nov. 2, 1948 2,492,701 Kirk Dec. 27, 1949 2,506,246 Stovers May 2, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 616,191 Great Britain Jan. 18, 1949 694,576, Great Britain of 1953 

